Ipanema
Surf spot · Brazil
Is it worth the trip?
10Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 6 ft swell at 7 s, onshore wind, 14 kn (27 km/h)
Mon 2 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 77kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 36°C
Fri 6 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- SW 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 298kJ
- Wind
- SW 14 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 114, too small
- Mon 214, too small
- Tue 35, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 57, too small
- Fri 68, too small
- Sat 77, too small
- Sun 815, too small
- Mon 953, fair
- Tue 1043, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Mar–Apr4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 14, too small | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 36°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 15, too small | 6 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 298kJ | wind from the south-west, 14 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 53, fair | 7 ft7 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 403kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 43, too small | 5 ft8 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 325kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 23°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 01:26 −0.3 mHigh 10:22 +0.2 mLow 14:56 +0.1 mHigh 18:10 +0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:01 −0.3 mHigh 11:30 +0.3 mLow 16:19 +0.0 mHigh 20:58 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:21 −0.4 mHigh 12:11 +0.3 mLow 17:11 −0.1 mHigh 23:10 +0.2 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Mar–Apr
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Ipanema on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Ipanema
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
More surf near here
5 places
- Castelinho 0.9 km away
- Leblon 1.2 km away
- Arpoador 1.5 km away
- Praia do Diabo 1.8 km away
- Pontão do leblon 1.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ipanema
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (173°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (353°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 22°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March and April, with about 4 good days in 7; in January, October and December, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Rio de Janeiro, 5.2 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 12 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 2 kayak spots.
Water about 22°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,010–US$1,950 each
about US$1,010–US$1,950 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to GIG, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$569–US$1,180 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$33–US$60 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$174–US$295 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$161–US$295 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$74–US$121 |
| Total | about US$1,010–US$1,950 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Rio de Janeiro
9 min by car · 92 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Rio de Janeiro its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$67 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 19h 15m
About 19h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → GIG, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → GIG on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.